PROJECT SUMMARY This proposal requests support for the Biology of Aging (BA) program at the 2017 World Congress of the International Association for Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG 2017), organized by the Biological Section (BS) of the Gerontological Society of America on behalf of IAGG. We believe that the best work in the field of gerontology at large will emerge when basic biological researchers exchange information about health-related human aging issues with medical researchers and practitioners, psychologists and sociologists. This is in particular true in light of translational geroscience, where new knowledge of basic mechanisms of aging is used to intervene at the foundation of processes that underlie both aging and the age-related diseases, and thereby improve human healthspan. In that regard, The IAGG 2017 BA program will provide an outstanding forum to communicate recent, fundamental advances in the biology of aging to biologists and non-biologists alike, and to promote the translation of these findings into therapeutic interventions and other applications that promote the healthy human life span. We aim to: (i) Provide outstanding scientific programming using a single-track, non-overlapping series of symposia featuring cutting-edge research on the biology of aging from participating countries. (ii) Incorporate the best research with translational potential, including that championed by the Geroscience initiative, and promote interdisciplinary interaction and communication between biological and health-related disciplines in gerontology within the IAGG framework, using the existing GSA areas of strength. (iii) Provide career development and leadership building opportunities for junior investigators of diverse backgrounds by recruiting, mentoring and training an international cadre of junior scientists that conduct emerging research with high standards